She was In Refuge 2 Years, You Won't Believe How Her Christmas Has Changed

Christmas is a time for us to all to enjoy indulging in far too much food and spending some quality time with the family. We hope by now you have been given at least one pair of dodgy socks and a few nice things too.

There is another side to Christmas. A side which most of us are fortunate enough to never have to confront. We wanted to share with you a heartwarming story that evolves from a bleak Christmas to a fabulous outcome. By sharing this story with your friends you can even do your bit to help those less fortunate this Christmas, helloU will be donating advertising revenue made from this article, but more about that later.

Meet Charlie Pemberton. Charlie was only four when she left her Newcastle home to enable her mum to escape domestic violence. Left with nowhere to go, they spent two years in a refuge on the other side of the country in Somerset.

Shelter hotline calls

They slept in a single room with no room for possessions, let alone Christmas decorations or gifts.

Charlie has been quoted as saying: “I have no positive memories of the refuge, not even Christmas. We weren’t living. We were barely existing. It was the lowest point in my life.”

Things improved when Charlie’s mum, Debbie, turned to homeless charity Shelter for help. Shelter found them a flat, but it turned sour and they were forced out by nightmare neighbours.

New people made homeless

By this time Charlie’s teachers had started to see her huge potential and she was offered a scholarship at a school in Wellington, Somerset. Shelter helped them secure residence close to the school, where Charlie’s talent for singing and playing the tuba blossomed.

Charlie was quoted as saying “Moving into a nice flat felt miraculous. We had always lived in damp, cold places. I felt happier and saw a difference in Mum. She made friends. I had never seen her like that before.”

Charlie went on to become a straight A student and is now studying Latin, Spanish, French and English Literature at A-Level. She aims to go to university for languages.

It is estimated that around 185,000 people a year are affected by homelessness in the UK. Like Charlie in her past, they won’t have much to celebrate today.

We understand that many of you have your own financial worries and can’t afford to donate to help these people, which is why we want to do it for you. All of the advertising revenue that helloU generates from this article will be donated to Shelter. You can do your bit by sharing this article with your friends. The more people that read Charlie’s story, means more money towards helping others who finds themselves in a similar position.

We hope you have a great Christmas. To end on a positive note, here is a video made by SLYO UK of them feeding the homeless. Remember to help by sharing.